The present invention relates to a pawl in a ratchet wrench and more particularly, to a floating pawl which is moved between forward and reverse directions by a bifurcated spring.
Many types of ratchet wrenches are known which have a ratchet gear and an engaging pawl. In most of the ratchet wrenches, the pawl has a front face with two separated pairs of teeth to alternately engage teeth on the ratchet gear for forward and reverse ratcheting limiting tooth engagement to two or less teeth. Also, usually, the pawl has a pair of pockets in the back of the pawl opposite from the front face. The pawl is usually disposed in a cylindrical bore in the head of the wrench restricting the movement of the pawl to rotation. A detent means is disposed in the handle of the wrench juxtapositioned to the pockets in the pawl. As the pawl is moved by a reversing lever from one position to another, the detent means is alternately moved from one pocket to the other to urge a selected pair of teeth into engagement with the teeth on the ratchet wrench.
It is also known to have two individual pawls which are activated by a spring such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 582,622 to Dobson and U.S. Pat. No. 837,537 to Beyer. Dobson discloses a U-shaped spring 14 which urges two pawls into engagement with a ratchet wheel. Beyer discloses a curved U-shaped spring which is arranged between the outer ends of pawls and normally causes the pawls to engage with teeth on a gear. The open end of the spring is oriented away from the gear.
In U.S. Pat. No. 722,450, Kershner discloses a U-shaped leaf spring having opposite sides which bear outwardly in opposite directions to force the outer ends of the "dogs" into engagement with the ratchet teeth. The opening in the spring is oriented away from the gear. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,635,102, Watson discloses a double spring. The ends of the spring engage two parts of a double dog which engage a ratchet ring. The spring is in the handle and extends into the head of the wrench. Ward, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,138,331, discloses a wrench with a pawl having converging side walls and diverging arms which is disposed in a chamber with the ratchet member. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,174,502, Rueb discloses a substantially U-shaped spring which is carried by a block. A triangular-shaped pawl has teeth at opposite ends and the pawl is secured by a pin. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,429, De Orlow discloses a U-shaped spring to provide a snap action of the dog. Kilness, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,780, discloses a U-shaped spring which alternately engages pins and causes the shift plate and the pawl to move. A detent spring and ball in a bore in the handle engages one or another side of the apex of the pawl. Schultz, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,456, discloses a pair of U-shaped springs which urge lock elements into locking relation with the ratchet.
Wrenches having slider pawls are also known. U.S. Pat. No. 2,957,377 to Hare discloses a wrench with a wedge-shaped pawl opening with converging straight sides and a corresponding wedge-shaped pawl. The pawl has an arcuate row of teeth. An opening is formed in the pawl at the interface of the sides of the pawl and one end of a helical coil spring is received in the opening. The other end of the helical coil spring extends into an opening in a rotating pin. Rotation of the pin shifts the pawl from one side to the other within the pawl opening.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,416, Kilness discloses a pawl and a recess having inclined planar sides. A shift element is held in either of two positions by a detent ball and spring. The positioning of the pawl is under the control of the shiftable control element which is received in a recess in the pawl.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,992 to Over et al, two identical, but reverse-shaped pawls are connected by a helical coil spring and disposed in an opening adjoining the ratchet teeth on the rotatable member.
None of the known references disclose nor suggest a slider pawl which is disposed between the arms of a spring and in which reverse ratcheting is produced by pivoting of the spring.